Successful New Event Format Brings Education, Networking and Quality Vendor Interaction to Security Industry

January 31, 2011 – The security industry is raving about the 2011 ESA Leadership Summit, which was held January 10-13 in Irving, TX.

This newly transformed event provided attendees in its newly introduced Hosted Guest Segment and Conference and Meetings Segment with educational opportunities, networking events and quality interaction with top-notch dealers. The praise of this uniquely valuable event has positioned it to be the must-attend security event of 2012.

“This year’s Leadership Summit was an exceptional opportunity to learn about industry trends from experts and peers alike,” said Mike Horgan, owner of H&S Protection Systems, Inc. “It was professionally run and packed with content. If you missed it, you missed a lot.”

Both the Leadership Summit Hosted Guest and Conference and Meetings Segment attendees are in agreement that the event truly delivered. Preliminary survey results show 95% of attendees somewhat or strongly agree that they received information and advice that will help them grow and improve their businesses and 95% agree that they would recommend the Summit to a colleague. The following is an overview of the four-day event:

Hosted Guest Segment

From the moment Hosted Guests landed in Irving, TX, they were treated in style. After arriving at the luxurious Omni Mandalay at Las Colinas Hotel, they attended a kick-off reception, which included fine food stations, cocktails and the conversations of many colleagues reconnecting.

On Tuesday, Hosted Guests were greeted for the Smart Security Keynote Breakfast, sponsored by Axis Communications. This session, moderated by Carol Enman of Security Dealer and Integrator Magazine, welcomed experts from the most progressive integration companies, who shared their experiences with new, more intelligent security products that tap enormous information databases and provide integrators with opportunities for growth.

After this, the Hosted Guests were off to boardroom presentations, where small groups met with highly-regarded electronic security vendors who gave presentations on the newest services and products provided to the industry. Hosted Guests met with these vendors later in pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings, where conversations could take a more direct and personal tone.

"We had a great experience at the 2011 ESA Leadership Summit," said Shawn Welsh, VP of Marketing and Business Development at Telguard, a division of Telular. "It was an opportunity for us to spend quality one-on-one time with the top integrators in the industry. We met many new faces and strengthened the relationships with folks we already knew. I would definitely recommend this event for vendors who are looking to have more substantial conversations with their prospects."

After their dedicated vendor interactions, Hosted Guests shared best practices at roundtable sessions. The Vertical Valuation Luncheon General Session, sponsored by Panasonic, provided the guests with insight on the value of specializations in vertical markets. And a wrap up session on video, access and recurring revenue models closed the hosted guest portion of the Leadership Summit schedule. Here, emerging business models for video surveillance and access control markets with recurring revenue were explained.

"The Hosted Guest Segment was a great addition to the ESA Leadership Summit," said Bob Ryan, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at ASG Security. "I learned a considerable amount about new trends and practices we can incorporate during seminars and general sessions. I had a great time networking with my peers at social events and the quality time I spent with the vendors was unbeatable. I was able to accomplish a lot in a little amount of time and with my busy schedule I really value that."

Conference and Meetings Segment

Conference and Meeting attendees were welcomed to the event at 4 p.m. on January 11. Attendees browsed the vendor sponsor Showcase Meeting Area and dressed in their favorite football team’s jersey for the Cowboys Stadium Summit Extravaganza, sponsored by AMX.

The Summit Extravaganza, a highlight for many of those who attended, was the host of the ESA Leadership and Best Practice Award Ceremonies. The evening’s recipients of Best Practice Awards included:

• ADS Security, for the Financial, Legal and Human Capital Management Category,
• Safety Technologies, Inc., for the New Technology Implementation Category,
• H&S Protection Systems, Inc., for the Profit-Generating Strategies Category,
• ASG Security, for the Sales and Marketing Management Category, and
• Safety Technologies, Inc., for the Production Management (Design and Installation) Category.

The night ended with tours of the stadium, where the group explored the backstage security systems and experienced the 2011 Super Bowl field hands on. Passes were made. Field goals were attempted. And fun was definitely had.

On Wednesday morning, attendees entered the Security and Mobile Applications Breakfast General Session, sponsored by Telguard. Here, the integration of security systems and mobile devices was explored for control, alerts and viewing of live video. Both Conference and Meeting attendees and Hosted Guests who opted to stay for additional educational and networking opportunities, were invited to attend a host of significant committee meetings, including complimentary ESA seminars and roundtables on maximizing chapter participation.

The luncheon general session on electronic security megatrends revealed the results of a recently fielded ESA member study, and was interpreted by a panel of the industry’s leading observers. At the conclusion of the day, which was full of educational offerings and committee meetings, attendees were treated to the ESA Diamond Beer Bonanza, sponsored by Interlogix. The ESA Diamond Beer Bonanza provided attendees the opportunity to mingle with industry friends and colleagues while enjoying an array of beer and food offerings.

On the final day of the Summit, attendees awoke to a breakfast general session focusing on “Strength in a Weak Economy.” This inspirational presentation fueled the competitive fire of attendees, providing practical advice for winning and maintaining the “right” customers. Wednesday afternoon welcomed the Information Age Marketing Seminar, sponsored by Honeywell, as well as the ESA Charter Chapter Meeting and ESA Board of Directors Meeting.

The luncheon general session on public safety connections, sponsored by Videofied, explored tactics for building and maintaining strong relationships with public safety officials and the power of video surveillance.

The 2011 Summit closed with the ESA Silver Finale Reception, sponsored by ADI, Altronix, Diebold and Security America RRG. Here, colleagues enjoyed good food, beverages and said their goodbyes to new and old industry friends.

The 2012 ESA Leadership Summit will be held next January. For upcoming details, including a site announcement, be sure to visit www.esa-summit.com. For sponsorship information, please contact Shannon Murphy at (508)618-4224 or smurphy@ae-ventures.com.

About ESA
Formerly the NBFAA, the Electronic Security Association (ESA) is the largest and longest- established trade association representing the electronic life safety and security industry. Member companies install, integrate and monitor intrusion and fire detection, video surveillance and electronic access control systems for commercial, residential, industrial and governmental clients. In cooperation with an alliance of chapter associations, ESA provides technical and management training, government advocacy and delivers information, advice, tools, and services that members use to grow their businesses and prosper. The ESA may be reached at (888) 447-1689 or on the Web at www.ESAweb.org.

About AE Ventures
Association Event Ventures is focused on developing and managing new events, e-media, publications and research products for associations and other third parties. AE Ventures offers its partners opportunities to launch strategic, high-quality media products aligned with their missions at a minimum financial risk. For more, visit www.ae-ventures.com.